Movies on a shoestring budget

Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz founded Troma Entertainment in 1974, and fifty years later, they still “haven’t sold out, and haven’t made a dime.” Ben Johnson has only been a part of it for half of those years, but during that time, he’s developed his filmmaking chops and fostered a community of other independent artists he can call up to make something new. Nothing is as valuable as experience, and the experiences he’s had working with the company have been enlightening, exciting, and oftentimes wild. This much could easily be expected of the people behind horror-comedy films like The Toxic Avenger and Klown Kamp Massacre. 

Talking to Johnson is an absolute joy, involving tale after tale of filmmaking wins and losses handled in entertaining ways. Interwoven between these vignettes are nuggets of shining wisdom for anyone working on creative projects. At the core of it all is a deep love for the life he’s built and the people he’s found.

Troma teams never work with a massive budget. Johnson says the beginning of any production involves a lot of phone calls seeking collaborators who are willing to “sleep on floors, eat cheese sandwiches, and poop in paper bags.” While many will say working on a Troma film was their film school, Kaufman has indicated they should view it more as film “boot camp.” Johnson explained to me that “it’s not really movie-making until you’ve found your day-old bagel spot.” When he tells stories of these productions, however, his tone is unmistakably fond. This is largely because of the creative atmosphere and the people who are drawn to it.

🚍 Transit Prevails, Appeal Pending Yesterday, Chancellor Anne Martin ruled in favor of Mayor O’Connell and Metro in the lawsuit brought up against the recently approved transit referendum. In November, the Committee to Stop an Unfair Tax took legal action against “Choose How You Move,” claiming the plan would misuse IMPROVE Act funding and that the ballot language and information campaign were misleading. 

“On November 5^th, Nashvillians made an overwhelming statement that it’s time to take action to improve our transit and related infrastructure,” said O’Connell in a press release yesterday. “The court’s ruling, today, stands with the will of Nashvillians and confirms the referendum complied with all elements of state law. I'm excited for all of us to be able to move past legal distractions and get to doing the work that people expect of us and asked us to do.” 

But, the “legal distractions” may not be over. "It is not unexpected," said Emily Evens, former council member and head of the Committee to Stop an Unfair Tax. "We plan to appeal."

🎨 The Struggling [Metro Art]ist Over the weekend, Paulette Coleman abruptly quit her position as the interim director of the Metro Arts Commission. In June, Coleman replaced former Director Daniel Singh, whose radical diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda left a wake of financial chaos. Before his departure, Singh brought forward claims of discrimination and later resigned following a $200,000 payout from Metro. 

According to the Tennessean, Coleman stepped down days after Metro Human Relations Commission Executive Director Davie Tucker “had flagged concerns with the Arts Commission’s latest attempt to craft new grant guidelines.” The resignation email obtained by the media outlet also indicated that the Commission has yet to begin its search for a permanent director.

⚠️ Protecting The Children Online Yesterday, Attorney General Jonathon Skrmetti announced that the Protect Tennessee Minors Act will stay in effect as the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reviews the case. The state law mandates that sexual or erotic websites implement a reasonable age-verification process. “We’re glad that the unanimously-passed Protect Tennessee Minors Act remains in effect while this case proceeds,” said Skrmetti in a press release. “As the Court of Appeals noted, this law seeks to stem the flow of toxic content to kids and keep adult websites adults-only.”

DEVELOPMENT-ish

• 15 Restaurants for a Romantic Night Out in Nashville (Eater)
• Raising Cane’s set to open new restaurant in Middle Tennessee (WSMV)
• Major permit issued for WeHo live music venue project (Post)

✹ THIS WEEK IN STREAMING (January 14th)

Dune: Part 2 (Max) Though released last March, the follow-up to one of Hollywood’s all-time great blockbusters continues to remain an Oscar frontrunner as evidenced by the Music City Film Critics’ Association naming it Best Picture last week. It’ll probably behoove those who have yet to see it to make the trek to the multiplex upon its inevitable awards season rerelease in the coming weeks. But, in the meantime, HBO is here for all your spice needs. 

After Midnight (Paramount+/CBS) It may have earned its rep as the go-to network for the old folks, but CBS was far ahead of its competitors by replacing yet another smarmy politico late-night hack with this largely un-self-righteous faux game show in the 11:30 p.m. slot. Comedienne du jour Taylor Tomlinson hosts a revolving panel of comics and actors who opine on pop culture through increasingly elaborate joke prompts that necessitate well-honed improv skills. Funnier than anything on Gutfeld or Fallon. 

Starring Nicole Kidman (Criterion) The Belcourt got on the Kidman bandwagon last summer with its career retrospective of Nashville’s most famous resident. Those who missed it have the opportunity to see a wide swath of Kidman’s best performances from her breakout 80s thriller Dead Calm to her work with cinema legends like Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut), Gus Van Sant (To Die For), and Jane Campion (The Portrait of a Lady). Our pick: Kidman’s turn as a self-loathing literary fiction writer at the center of Noah Baumbach’s Margot at the Wedding, a criminally neglected family drama co-starring Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Half Waif + NOIA @ Soft Junk, 8p, $18.57, Info
+ experimental dream pop

🪕 Brenna MacMillan @ Analog at the Hutton Hotel, 7p, $15, Info

🎸 Ringo Starr & Friends @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p, $79.50+, Info

🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ Eastside Bowl, 8p, $10, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p

🎸 Cole Ritter and the Night Owls @ The Underdog, 11:30p, Free, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

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